Czech Republic to get its first supercomputer centre

A new national centre of excellence in information technology (IT), equipped with the latest state-of-the-art computing technologies, will be the first supercomputer centre of its kind in the Czech Republic.

Additional tools

Known as IT4Innovations Centre of Excellence, this new centre will be kitted out with the very latest in computer technology including high-performance computing (HPC) devices such as tools for simulations, modelling and computations. Such tools can be used in all spheres of our lives to simulate climate change, manage traffic and even provide scenarios to help prevent natural disasters.

Other important areas for research and development at the centre will include developing nanotechnologies; voice and speech recognition; and creating new algorithms used in industrial product design and so on. When it opens in 2014 the centre is set to rank among the top 100 most powerful supercomputer centres in the world.

Expertise under one roof

This ambitious project, which consists of consortium of five of the Czech Republic’s established research institutions, will bring together a range of disciplines relating to IT, creating an innovative environment for researching, developing and applying new methods in computing technology. Until now expertise in the field of IT has been scattered with many of the country’s researchers working in isolation. Thanks to the creation of the IT4Innovations centre, for the first time research teams will have the opportunity to work together under one roof, exchanging ideas and best practices.

Once completed, the centre of excellence aims to house over 300 researchers working on 28 new IT projects, create 200 new jobs for highly qualified researchers recruited nationally and globally, and attract over 400 post-graduates.

Improving the lives of the local population

Not only will the project benefit the field of computer science in the Czech Republic but it will also bring benefits for the region in which the centre will be located. Five areas spread throughout the cities of Ostrava and Brno in the Czech Republic (a total surface area of some 11 830 m2) will benefit from substantial investment in infrastructure.

In addition, the centre will have a direct impact on the competitiveness of industry in the region as well as improving the lives of local citizens by applying advanced IT solutions to improve healthcare and transportation in particular. For example, intelligent transport systems will ensure that traffic in Ostrava – the third largest city in the country – can be more effectively managed.